Should midwives measure blood
loss in the fourth stage of labour
Abstract
The first 1 to 2 hours following delivery of the placenta is defined as the
fourth stage of labour and it could be argued that blood loss during this
stage is often overlooked by practitioners. In this article, it is suggested
that midwives should be considering how much blood a woman loses in
the fourth stage of labour as this could enhance our future understanding
of third stage management.